Creativity lost in UF's red zone

Tuesday

Oct 27, 2009 at 12:52 AM

Gene Frenette

You'll never see Tim Tebow wearing an orange jumpsuit, but in the current state of Florida's offense, the Gators quarterback resembles a prisoner because the play-calling just about leaves him in handcuffs.

Tebow isn't blameless for the red-zone woes that become more alarming with each passing week. But head coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio are lead perpetrators by refusing to diversify UF's offense.

Where is the creativity? When did the Gators switch from a spread offense to a Tebow right-left-middle run option attack? If Meyer is a master recruiter, why is Florida so pathetically thin at receiver that Tebow seldom looks beyond Riley Cooper or tight end Aaron Hernandez on passing downs?

A one- or two-game offensive slump is one thing, but the Gators have won all five Southeastern Conference games with atrocious play inside the opponents' 20. The numbers are stunningly bad, so much so that Addazio (or is it Subtractio?) and whoever else has game-planning input should star in a movie titled, "Coach, I Shrunk the Playbook."

In SEC games, the true barometer of what UF is on either side of the ball, the Gators have run 76 plays inside the red zone. And on 37 of those plays, Tebow has run for a combined 99 yards, a few on scrambles.

When your quarterback is that much of a bell cow, and your other backs have just 14 red-zone carries for a respectable 71 yards, it's a lot easier for defensive coordinators to figure out your tendencies. Maybe that's why UF has a measly seven touchdowns in 25 red-zone trips against SEC opponents.

A lot of factors go into this ineptitude. Some of it is UF's overreliance on Tebow running. Some of it is Tebow holding the ball too long in passing situations. Here's a baffling statistic: Tebow has taken more sacks (five) in the red zone against SEC teams than he has completions (4-of-16). If that keeps up, his NFL draft stock will plummet more than Lehman Brothers' assets.

Meyer and Addazio aren't helping Tebow with that limited playbook. Would it really kill them to occasionally call a fade pass to the 6-foot-3 Cooper just to try something different? Has Jeff Demps become the only Tebow-less option on a short field?

Oh, and another thing, what's up with having Tebow throw out of the end zone on first-and-10 with Florida up 29-13 in Saturday's victory at Mississippi State? Who does that with one of the nation's best running attacks at your disposal? Tebow didn't deserve a second interception return against him for a touchdown, but Meyer and Addazio sure did for allowing that call.

The Gators are lucky they haven't played anyone good enough to take full advantage of their offensive shortcomings. Georgia, a 17-point underdog Saturday, probably falls into the same category, but UF is living on the edge a lot more than it should.

Thanks to Charlie Strong's outstanding defense, the Gators just might sputter their way to a national title because there's no truly dominant team out there. Everybody has flaws, so what's a little red-zone inefficiency?

Just to be safe, though, Meyer had better get more imaginative on offense. Find something besides just running Tebow into the ground.

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